735. Dünya Kupası

Ivanchuk takes lead, Svidler-Grischuk quick draw in World Cup Final Game 2

 

Mark Crowther - Saturday 17th September 2011

Peter Svidler edged half a point closer to the World Cup title with a quick draw with white against Alexander Grischuk in game 2 of the World Cup Final. Everybody looked quite tired today as this marathon event enters its last lap. Grischuk may or may not have the strength for a win or bust attempt tomorrow. In the battle for the final Candidates place Ponomariov made it uncharacteristically easy for Ivanchuk to exploit an advantage when allowing his rooks through to the 7th rank. So Svidler and Ivanchuk take 1.5-0.5 leads into game three on Sunday. Ivanchuk had the better of the opening with black in game two and with some help from Ponomariov took the lead.  Svidler and Grischuk press conference. Peter Svidler played a solid variation of the Sicilian against Alexander Grischuk and seemed happy enough that his draw in game 2 of 4 took him closer to the World Cup title. Svidler pointed out he hasn't been getting much with white throughout the tournament and that today was just a continuation of that trend. Perhaps we may expect fireworks tomorrow as it is quite possible Grischuk will just go all out for victory in a win or bust attempt. 

Svidler:
As I said yesterday, this is the way my white games seem to be going in this tournament. Well obviously this is not what I've been hoping to get when I played 6.a4. After 8.Bg5 9.Bxf6 there are some high level games similar to this I think 12.Qe2 is a novelty, but after it we pretty much by force get to this position we have on the board where actually my last two moves are quite precise otherwise I might even be slightly worse. After 15.b3 and 16.Rd1 I think a logical continuation is white will double on the d-file, black will double on the c-file, white will play Ne1, black will by this point get the knight to c5, the knights will be traded off on the d3 square after which there will just be nobody to play with on the board. So I think it's quite a logical result in this position. It's obvious that white can, and probably should, be slightly more ambitious with white in the opening, it's not the first time that this has happened in my games in this tournament. 

Svidler and Grischuk amused by translation error. 

Grischuk (translated): There are at least 10 continuations at move 6. I think I agree with Peter that 6.a4 is the best choice. [Svidler and Grischuk laugh at this mistranslation and Svidler interjects in - "Not really the best! The wording was the most solid and boring] and then after the Rd1 it was a precise move, after which black really had no chances to win.

Svidler and Grischuk drew.

Svidler,Peter (2739) - Grischuk,Alexander (2746) [B90]
FIDE World Cup 2011 Khanty-Mansiysk RUS (7.2), 17.09.2011

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.a4 "Not really the best! The wording was the most solid and boring." - Svidler correcting the translation of Grischuk's comment. 6...e5 7.Nf3 Be7 8.Bg5 Be6 9.Bxf6 Bxf6 10.Nd5 Nd7 11.Bc4 Rc8 12.Qe2 Nb6 13.Nxf6+ Qxf6 14.Bxe6 Qxe6 15.b3! According to Svidler this move and the next are the most accurate. [15.0-0 1/2-1/2 Zinchenko,Y (2503)-Efimenko,Z (2612)/Poltava UKR 2006/The Week in Chess 630 (109)] 15...0-0 16.Rd1 Rc6 Grischuk didn't believe he had winning chances and Svidler was happy enough with the draw.

1/2-1/2

Alexander Grischuk

Peter Svidler

Position after 16...Rc6

Ivanchuk won with black against Ponomariov. 

Vassily Ivanchuk was not sure whether he played all that well but he did finally get past Ruslan Ponomariov in game two of their match for the final World Championship Candidates place available from the World Cup. In some ways one might regard this as the more important match with Svidler and Grischuk having already booked their places. Both players looked tired, Ivanchuk in particular at the press conference, Ponomariov perhaps looked a bit better but the simple win he allowed at the end of this game suggests he too is nearing the end of his stamina. Ponomariov played the sharp 13.Nxe6 which he probably hoped would surprise Ivanchuk. But quickly, and especially after the queens came off it was Ivanchuk that was pressing. Just coming up to the first time control Ivanchuk suddenly started to make progress and Ponomariov's inexplicable 37.Rxf5? allowed Ivanchuk's rooks to the 7th with check.

Ponomariov,Ruslan (2764) - Ivanchuk,Vassily (2768) [D37]
FIDE World Cup 2011 Khanty-Mansiysk RUS (7.2), 17.09.2011

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Nc3 dxc4 5.e4 Bb4 6.Bg5 c5 7.Bxc4 cxd4 8.Nxd4 Bxc3+ 9.bxc3 Qa5 10.Bb5+ Nbd7 11.Bxf6 Qxc3+ 12.Kf1 [12.Ke2 Qb2+ 13.Ke3 gxf6 14.Qa4 0-0 15.Rhc1 Nc5 16.Qc4 e5 17.Ne2 Ne6 18.a4 a6 19.Rcb1 axb5 20.Qxe6 Qxe2+ 0-1 Sutkovic,D (2356)-Hoelzl,F (2327)/Zadar CRO 2010/The Week in Chess 841] 12...gxf6 13.Nxe6 [13.Nf5 Qe5 14.Nd6+ Kf8 15.g3 Nc5 16.f4 Qc3 17.e5 fxe5 18.Qh5 Qxa1+ 19.Kg2 Qb2+ 20.Kh3 Ke7 21.Rd1 Bd7 22.Qg5+ f6 23.Qg7+ Kd8 24.Qxh8+ Kc7 25.Qxa8 exf4 26.Bxd7 1-0 Palliser,R (2413)-Wells,P (2498)/Torquay ENG 2009/The Week in Chess 770] 13...Qe5 14.Nd4 0-0 [14...a6] 15.Qd3 [15.Qg4+; 15.a4; 15.Rb1 Nc5 16.Nf3 Qxe4 17.Rc1 b6 18.Qd6 Be6 19.Re1 Qb4 20.Be2 Rfd8 21.Qg3+ Kh8 22.a3 Qxa3 23.h4 Qb4 24.h5 Ne4 25.Qc7 Rac8 26.Qxa7 Qc5 27.Ba6 Qxf2# 0-1 Gormally,D (2471)-Wells,P (2485)/Halifax ENG 2003/The Week in Chess 473] 15...Nc5 16.Qg3+ Kh8 17.Qxe5 fxe5 Ivanchuk felt black had a good advantage after the queens came off. 18.Nf3 a6 19.Bc4 Nxe4 20.Nxe5 f6 21.Nf3 Bf5 22.h3 b5 23.Bb3 Nc3 24.Nd4 Bd3+ 25.Kg1 a5 26.Kh2 a4 27.Bd1 Bc4 28.a3 Rad8 29.Nc6 Rd2 30.Bf3 Rxf2 

Vassily Ivanchuk

Ruslan Ponomariov

Position after 30...Rxf2

Ivanchuk wasn't sure whether white had enough compensation for the pawn or not. 31.Rhc1 Na2 32.Re1 Rc8 33.Re7 Nc3 34.Nb4 f5 35.Rae1 Rg8 36.R7e5? [36.Re8 Rxe8 37.Rxe8+ Kg7 38.Kg3 Rd2] 36...Be2 37.Rxf5? 

Vassily Ivanchuk

Ruslan Ponomariov

Position after 37.Rxf5?

The final error in mutual time pressure. [37.R1xe2 Nxe2 38.Nd3 Rxf3 39.gxf3 Nd4 40.Ne1 Rd8 41.Kg3 Kg7 42.Rc5] 37...Bxf3 38.Rxf3 Rgxg2+ 39.Kh1 Rh2+ 40.Kg1 Ne2+ Ponomariov sat for some time looking at the wreckage of his position before quietly stopping the clocks and resigning.

0-1

After the game Ivanchuk faced the kind of tough questioning that unfortunately has now become all too common for the modern chess professional. "Do you like the sea?" 

FIDE World Cup 2011 Khanty-Mansiysk RUS Sun 28th Aug 2011 - Tue 20th Sep 2011 Round 7 Results

Name	FED	G1	G2	G3	G4	R1	R2	r3	r4	B1	B2	SD	Pts
Grischuk, Alexander	RUS	0	½										0.5
Svidler, Peter	RUS	1	½										1.5
Name	FED	G1	G2	G3	G4	R1	R2	r3	r4	B1	B2	SD	Pts
Ivanchuk, Vassily	UKR	½	1										1.5
Ponomariov, Ruslan	UKR	½	0										0.5